Feature

​Hearst Launches New Magazine: Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE

By Abigail Alderman, Hearst CorporationPublished on 02.03.14

The first test issue of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE hits newsstands today.

Share This Page

It’s not just his impressive medical background that leads audiences to trust Dr. Mehmet Oz—his can-do attitude and commitment to helping people live a healthy and happy life have led to a dedicated following across many mediums. Through the life-changing advice he shares on the Emmy-winning The Dr. Oz Show, as well as in radio segments, syndicated newspaper columns, best-selling books and frequent appearances on shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Good Morning America, Dr. Oz has established a powerful connection with American women.

Always a zealous magazine reader and a sought-after contributor, Dr. Oz has been exploring the idea of creating his own publication for several years. And then the right time and partnership presented itself: The first test issue of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE hits newsstands today. @Hearst sat down with Dr. Oz to hear more about the debut issue.

@Hearst: You’ve been a contributor to several Hearst magazines, as well as many other national magazines, and your advice has always connected so strongly with readers. Tell us more about THE GOOD LIFE and why now is the ideal moment to debut a magazine of your own.

Dr. Mehmet Oz: I’m in the change business, and this magazine is about helping readers to change for the better. People don’t change based on what they know, they change based on how they feel.

I want to emphasize that the title of the magazine, THE GOOD LIFE, was picked with a tremendous amount of thought toward what we are really talking about in each issue. It’s not just about health—it’s really about life. For most of us, our lives are defined by the people in them, and having the “good life” means that the people in your life, including yourself, are doing well.

I’ve been looking forward to this launch for a long time. Hearst Magazines’ Editorial Director Ellen Levine and I have been discussing the idea of publishing a magazine for years, but I wanted to wait until I could fully dedicate myself to the project. Last year, I arrived at a point where I was very comfortable with the production of The Dr. Oz Show and I was ready to devote my energy to the magazine.

I’ve also realized the importance of meeting people where they live—some people live on television, some people live on the Web, some live on radio, some live on newspapers and many live on magazines. We were missing magazine readers, and it’s a medium that I have always adored. I like the fact that magazines are tangible and permanent. I’ve always wanted to make a magazine that would allow us to touch people in a different way—in a way that resonates emotionally, visually, as well as intellectually.

@Hearst: You will have an “A-team” of contributors to the magazine each issue. Why is it important to you to bring in a variety of experts?

Oz: Different experts bring different flavors to the bouillabaisse. There is a need to customize advice about the human body, so we wanted to bring different voices to the table to have that conversation. Cultivating varying opinions from a strong cross-section of experts allows us to create a larger perspective on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. My “A-team” will help us produce a magazine that connects with readers on so many levels.

@Hearst: Who are the contributors for the debut issue?

Oz: I wanted to bring in some of the experts who I’ve featured on the show, because I already have a personal connection with them. Jean Chatzky is an amazing financial journalist who has worked for publications including Forbes, Money Magazine and SmartMoney. She is currently the financial editor for the Today Show. We first worked together on Oprah Radio, where I learned what an amazing ability she has to distill information into advice that people can really use. We’re also excited to have Joel Harper, my trainer, share his insights about getting fit. He’s very smart about his workouts—there’s not a wasted moment and he really emphasizes stretching to avoid injuries.

We also wanted to bring in people with a fresh twist on ideas. Heather Woolery-Lloyd is a dermatologist with cutting-edge insights—it is great to have her share her expertise and present a medical focus entirely different from my own. Mike Roizen, who is one of my closest friends, my co-author for all of the “You” books, and the world expert on anti-aging, provides life-changing tips. Additionally, we have Susan Spungen, a fabulous food stylist who has created the food for movies including Julie & Julia and Eat, Pray, Love, sharing her delicious recipes.

And of course, there’s my biggest ally: my wife Lisa. She really is the brains of the family and she’ll serve as the magazine’s editor at large. She explains to me what will and what won’t work for women.

@Hearst: Tell us more about the topics you’ll cover in each issue.

Oz: One of the things I love about the magazine is the topical layout. Editor in Chief Alison Brower, who was just a fantastic find, spent a lot of time working on how we would organize our thoughts. Writing a magazine about life and breaking it down into readable chunks is obviously a challenge.

We wanted to start out with a section that brings the reader up to date. “Well Informed” highlights important health news and trends that matter to our readers. Then we have a big “Health + Happiness” section. We highlight happiness because one of the great benefits of being healthy is being happy, and your health itself is influenced by your state of mind. But this section is definitely not full of depressing topics. I want the magazine to also be playful, both visually and content-wise. For example, we discuss what happens when a person drinks wine and take antibiotics at the same time, as well as some cold remedies from around the world. We also include practical guides, such as a booklet on vitamins.

In each issue, we’ll feature “The Good Life Report,” an investigative piece that will take the reader a little deeper into a health topic. In the first issue, we’re dealing with belly problems—we report on all of the bacteria that lives in the human gut and the important things everyone should know about maintaining belly health.

There is also a great “Mind + Mood” section which covers ways to make the reader feel better, more enthusiastic and more engaged with their life. THE GOOD LIFE also features sections on food and recipes, work and finances, and relationships.

I will continue to write the introductory letter that focuses on the important messages from each issue. The last thing readers will hear from me is my “prescription” for a topic important to general well-being. In the first issue, I write about optimism, because it is such a driver of happiness. I wanted to share, very personally, what I do to stay optimistic, as well as what the science says we should do.

@Hearst: What are your hopes for the “Ask Oz Anything” section?

Oz: I’ve always been amazed about the insights of our audience. I want the “Ask Oz” section to be very intimate—I want the reader to ask the questions that they may be too embarrassed to even ask their doctor. Yes, it’s a public forum, but readers can rest assured that if it’s important to them, it’s important to a lot of other people.

@Hearst: How will The Dr. Oz Show and the magazine complement each other?

Oz: The magazine and the show will complement each other very closely. Before I decided to do the magazine, I thought very carefully about all of the content we have cultivated for the show. I want this magazine to broaden our brand, not duplicate it. There is so much information that we gather each year, and much of it can only be delivered in the way the television audience wants to see it. I want to be able to take advantage of all of that knowledge on a new platform.

We launched the magazine on a special episode of The Dr. Oz Show, and I’m now embarking on a satellite tour to all of our affiliates, many of which are Hearst stations. I’ll talk about the new magazine, but more importantly, I’ll talk about all of the issues we’re covering. I don’t want to just report on what’s happening; I want the magazine to create the agenda around health in America.

I also wanted to bring more smart people to the table. The beautiful thing about working with Hearst is that you have a ton of really smart people working with you and helping you think about even better ways to tell the story.

@Hearst: What do you hope readers will walk away with from this first issue?

Oz: I want readers to walk away with a very different perspective of where they are in their own lives. I want them to realize that their best years are not behind them; they’re in front of them. If they want to be the world expert in their own body, we can help them get there. Once a person realizes that they can change their own body, there’s nothing that can stop them from changing the world.

Dr. Oz had been exploring the idea of creating his own publication for several years, and then the right time and partnership presented itself: The first test issue of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE hits newsstands today.